How do I know which S&P 500 to invest in?
The easiest way is to invest in an S&P 500 index fund. You can do this in a tax-advantaged account like a 401(k), IRA, HSA, or 529 plan. You could also open a taxable brokerage account to purchase an S&P 500 index fund.
| Index fund | Minimum investment | Expense ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Vanguard 500 Index Fund - Admiral Shares (VFIAX) | $3,000. | 0.04%. |
| Schwab S&P 500 Index Fund (SWPPX) | No minimum. | 0.02%. |
| Fidelity 500 Index Fund (FXAIX) | No minimum. | 0.015%. |
| Fidelity Zero Large Cap Index (FNILX) | No minimum. | 0.0%. |
The easiest way is to invest in an S&P 500 index fund. You can do this in a tax-advantaged account like a 401(k), IRA, HSA, or 529 plan. You could also open a taxable brokerage account to purchase an S&P 500 index fund.
S&P 500 Funds
They all own the same issues. Such funds are almost pure commodities, distinguished first by their costs and secondarily by their tracking errors, which represent the amount by which their returns diverge from that of the index.
You only need one S&P 500 ETF
You could be tempted to buy all three ETFs, but just one will do the trick. You won't get any additional diversification benefits (meaning the mix of various assets) because all three funds track the same 500 companies.
In terms of total assets, SPY reigns supreme as the most popular S&P 500 ETF.
The Bottom Line. Both index mutual funds and ETFs can provide investors with broad, diversified exposure to the stock market, making them good long-term investments suitable for most investors. ETFs may be more accessible and easier to trade for retail investors because they trade like shares of stock on exchanges.
Investing $100 a month into an S&P 500 ETF can be a sound long-term investment strategy, especially for those with a lower risk tolerance. The S&P 500 has historically provided average annual returns of around 10%, which means that $100 invested each month could grow to a significant amount over time.
The S&P 500 is a stock market index that measures the performance of about 500 companies in the U.S. It includes companies across 11 sectors to offer a picture of the health of the U.S. stock market and the broader economy. After a downturn in 2022, the S&P 500 roared back in 2023, and on Jan.
If the S&P 500 outperforms its historical average and generates, say, a 12% annual return, you would reach $1 million in 26 years by investing $500 a month.
How do I choose a good index fund?
The best equity index fund is the ones that track the index as closely as possible. Ideally there should not be any difference between the index and the fund return but practically, there would be a slight deviation based on the time of tracking, weightage in the stock invested or rebalanced.
The second highest performing fund in the list was the $395m BlackRock US Growth fund, managed by Phil Ruvinsky and Caroline Bottinelli. The strategy was up 52.68% last year, after a 40.57% loss in 2022. Over a five-year period ending 2023, the strategy was up 92.91% – lagging the S&P 500 index return of 107.21%.
Investment Accessibility: Invest in mutual funds via company or trade ETFs like stocks for added convenience. Cost and Performance: Index funds cost less, have lower taxes. Most prefer them for cost-effectiveness.
Experts agree that for most personal investors, a portfolio comprising 5 to 10 ETFs is perfect in terms of diversification.
Think About This: $10,000 invested in the S&P 500 at the beginning of 2000 would have grown to $32,527 over 20 years — an average return of 6.07% per year.
S&P 500 5 Year Return is at 83.02%, compared to 79.20% last month and 46.29% last year. This is higher than the long term average of 45.06%. The S&P 500 5 Year Return is the investment return received for a 5 year period, excluding dividends, when holding the S&P 500 index.
Index investing is already less expensive than almost any other kind of investing, even if you don't select the cheapest fund. Many S&P 500 index funds charge less than 0.10 percent annually. In other words, at that rate you'll pay only $10 annually for every $10,000 you have invested in the fund.
Vanguard S&P 500 ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, VOO is a great option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend segment of the market.
Index funds are investment funds that follow a benchmark index, such as the S&P 500 or the Nasdaq 100. When you put money in an index fund, that cash is then used to invest in all the companies that make up the particular index, which gives you a more diverse portfolio than if you were buying individual stocks.
- Trading fees.
- Operating expenses.
- Low trading volume.
- Tracking errors.
- The possibility of less diversification.
- Hidden risks.
- Lack of liquidity.
- Capital gains distributions.
Why buy ETF instead of index?
The biggest difference between ETFs and index funds is that ETFs can be traded throughout the day like stocks, whereas index funds can be bought and sold only for the price set at the end of the trading day.
The single biggest risk in ETFs is market risk. Like a mutual fund or a closed-end fund, ETFs are only an investment vehicle—a wrapper for their underlying investment. So if you buy an S&P 500 ETF and the S&P 500 goes down 50%, nothing about how cheap, tax efficient, or transparent an ETF is will help you.
The truth is that most investors won't have the money to generate $1,000 per month in dividends; not at first, anyway. Even if you find a market-beating series of investments that average 3% annual yield, you would still need $400,000 in up-front capital to hit your targets. And that's okay.
Consider if an investor put their money in the S&P 500. Historically, it has averaged 11.5% returns between 1928 and 2022. In 6.4 years, their money would double, assuming these average returns.
For example, if an investment scheme promises an 8% annual compounded rate of return, it will take approximately nine years (72 / 8 = 9) to double the invested money.
